Latch



Oct. 23, 1

. B. R. CRAMPTON I I TCH Filed April 25, 192'! 2 Sheets-Sheet E J- L Mai Oct. 23,1928. 1,688,526

B. R. CRAMPTON LATCH Filed April 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inuenior Basil R. Cromplgl Mamet Patented Get. 23, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BASIL R. CRAMPTON, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO WINTERS & CHAMP- TON MFG. 00., OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATICN OF MICHIGAN.

LATCH.

Application filed April 25, 1927. Serial No. 186,250.

This invention relates to a latch which may be applied to swinging doors particularly refrigerator doors. The latch is of the swinging lever type and it is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide a novel construction of latch which, when the door is released so that it may be swung to open position, may have the latch lever located either in a Vertical or horizontal position and, irrespective of which position it may be in, the latch will automatically engage with a keeper therefor on the doorjam or casing and latch the door securely in closed position. The, invention comprises a latch of this construction made with many novel features of operation and with novel construction and arrangement of parts for effectively attaining the ends stated.

For an understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanyin drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing the latch in closed position, a fragmentary portion of r the door and the casing on which the latch and keeper are respectively mounted being shown.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is an under plan view of the latch, the door and the casing being shown in horizontal section.

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary horizontal section, substantially on the plane of line 4-i of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view, similar to that shown in Fig. 1, the latch being in vertical positron, and the door partly open and approach ng closed position.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation illustrating the action of the lever as the door approaches closed position, where the lever has been in horizontal position while the door also opens, and

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 7.

Like characters refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

The latch is secured adjacent the free vertical edge of the door 1, while the keeper for the latch is attached to the door-j am or casing 2 adjacent one edge of the door opening. The latch comprises a base 3 attached to the door 1 by means of screws or like fasteners,

projecting outwardly from which is a post 4 formed at its upper end with a horizontal arm 5 which extends laterally from the upper end of the post over the base. The base and said post are made as an integral casting. The latch lever 6 lies between the base and the arm 5 and is pivotally mounted on a pin '7 which passes through said arm, lever and base as shown. The lever at one end is formed into a handle 8 which is set outwardly a distance from the door for the reception of the fingers of the operator between it and the door, The opposite end of the lever and extending oppositely from the pivot 7 is made into an arm 9 which in the horizontal position of the lever extends beyond the free vertical edge of the door so that it may engage with the keeper mounted on the door am.

The post 4 at .its edges provides stops 10 against which the lever 6 and arm 9 may engage whereby the lever can be swung only between a vertical and horizontal position, the first of said positions being shown in Fig. 5 and the other in Fig. 1. 7

On the base 3 at an edge thereof adjacent the free edge of the door, two spaced apart outwardly extending cars 11 are cast between which a member 12 is pivotally mounted upon a pivot pin 13 extending through said ears and through said member 12. The member 12 has side edges 14 located at an angle to each other so that said member 12 is in form similar to a sector of a circle, thesides 14L converging toward each other in the direction of the base 3. This is best shown in Fig. 4.

The keeper which is made as a single casting includes a base 1 which is secured to the jam or casing 2 by screws or like fastenings. From the base a post 16 extends outwardly for a distance and at its outer end carries a head 17 of substantiallytriangular shape and which extends below the lower edge of the post. The head at its outer side is formedwith two cam surfaces 18 and 19 which come to a point between the upper and lower ends of the head. The inner side of the head has an inner cam surface 20 which lies slightly inclined to the vertical-inclining upwardly and inwardly from its lower end. This makes a retaining hook back of which the arm 9 of the lever 6 is received so as to hold the door in closed position, while the upward and inward inclination of the side 20 of the head 17 causes the door to wedge tightly shut.

The door being in closed position and with the lever as shown in Fig. 1, said lever may be moved to vertical position as shown in Fig. 5, for opening the door. When it is moved to such position a side of the lever 6 comes against the side 14 out the member 12, as shown in Fig. 4, and swings the member on its pivot 18 to substantially the position shown in Fig. 4. If the lever stays in such vertical position, when the door is closed, as it approaches closed position, the opposite edge 1 1 of the member 12 comes against the upper side 19 ot' the head 17 this causing the member 12 to turn in a clockwise direction (referring to Fig. i) whereupon the lever 6 is turned about its pivot 7 to horizontal position, shown in Fig. 1, and arm: 9 engages underneath the keeper.

Ii the lever has dropped to horizontal position while the door is open, as may occur through accident or otherwise many times, the closure of the door and the engagement of the lever with the keeper is accomplished by merely swinging the door shut, in which case the arm 9 strikes against the lower side 18 of the head 17 or the keeper causing the handle to be automatically turned toward vertical position. This movement continues until arm 9 passes by the lower point or nose of the head 17, or until the lever strikes against the member 12, whereupon the movement of the lever is reversed so as to bring arm 9 under the depending hook portion of the keeper. In either case the latch lever engages with the keeper on closing the door irrespective of the position oi the lever.

The construction described is simple, has but few parts all easily produced and assembled. The ability to close the door and latch automatically irrespective of whether the latch is in vertical or horizontal position insures that the door will be latched when it is shut and that neither the latch, the door nor the casing will be injured. These features combined make a latch structure of exceptional merit. The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In combination, a door, a door casing therefor, a keeper attached to the door casing, a latch lever pivotally mounted between its ends on the door and having one end formed into a keeper engaging arm, said lever being swingable between a vertical and a horizontal position and vice versa, a member pivotally mounted on the door against which the lever engages when it is moved to vertical position whereby said member is turned on its pivot to an outer position wherein it comes against the keeper when the door is closed and is moved inwardly, thereby causthe lever to come thereagainst when the lever.

is swung to vertical position, said member extending beyond the edge of the door when the lever is thereagainst so that when the door is closed, said member comes against the keeper and is moved inwardly, causing the lever to swing to horizontal position.

3. In combination, a door a door casing therefor, a keeper attached to the door casing,

a latch lever pivotally mounted between its ends on the door and having one end formed into a keeper engaging arm, said lever being swingable between a vertical and a horizon tal position and vice versa, a member pivotally mounted on the door to turn about a vertical axis located above the pivot of the lever and having two edges converging from the outer portion of the member toward the inner portion, said member being engaged at one of said edges by said lever when it is swung to vertical position whereby the member at its other edge extends over the edge of the door in position to strike against the keeper when the door is closed, thereby turning said member inwardly about its pivot and moving the lever from vertical to horizontal position.

4. In combination, a door, a casing therefor, a keeper attached to the door casin a latch lever pivotally mounted between its ends, a base attached to the door on which the latch is pivotally mounted, said lever being swingable between a vertical and a horizontal position and vice versa, and one end of the lever at one side of the pivot being formed into a keeper engaging arm, a pair of ears integral with the base projecting horizontally outward from the base, a trip member pivotally mounted. between said ears, said member having edges lying at an angle to each other, said member being located above the pivot of the lever whereby said lever comes against one edge ,of the member when it is swung to vertical position and the other edge of the member extends beyond the edge of the door so as to strike against the keeper when the door is closed, thereby moving the lever from vertical to horizontal keeper engaging position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' BASIL R. CRAMPTON. 

